John 15-16

New International Version

The Vine and the Branches

15 “I am^(A) the true vine,^(B) and my Father is the gardener. ² He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit,^(C) while every branch that does bear fruit^(D) he prunes^[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. ³ You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.^{(E) 4} Remain in me, as I also remain in you.^(F) No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

⁵ “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit;^(G) apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶ If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.^{(H) 7} If you remain in me^(I) and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.^{(J) 8} This is to my Father’s glory,^(K) that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.^(L)

⁹ “As the Father has loved me,^(M) so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. ¹⁰ If you keep my commands,^(N) you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. ¹¹ I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.^{(O) 12} My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.^{(P) 13} Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.^{(Q) 14} You are my friends^(R) if you do what I command.^{(S) 15} I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.^{(T) 16} You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you^(U) so that you might go and bear fruit^(V)—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.^{(W) 17} This is my command: Love each other.^(X)

The World Hates the Disciples

¹⁸ “If the world hates you,^(Y) keep in mind that it hated me first. ¹⁹ If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you^(Z) out of the world. That is why the world hates you.^{(AA) 20} Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’^[b](AB) If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also.^(AC) If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. ²¹ They will treat you this way because of my name,^(AD) for they do not know the one who sent me.^{(AE) 22} If I had not come and spoken to them,^(AF) they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.^{(AG) 23} Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. ²⁴ If I had not done among them the works no one else did,^(AH) they would not be guilty of sin.^(AI) As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. ²⁵ But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law:^(AJ) ‘They hated me without reason.’^[c](AK)

The Work of the Holy Spirit

²⁶ “When the Advocate^(AL) comes, whom I will send to you from the Father^(AM)—the Spirit of truth^(AN) who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me.^{(AO) 27} And you also must testify,^(AP) for you have been with me from the beginning.^(AQ)

16 “All this^(AR) I have told you so that you will not fall away.^{(AS) 2} They will put you out of the synagogue;^(AT) in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God.^{(AU) 3} They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me.^{(AV) 4} I have told you this, so that when their time comes you will remember^(AW) that I warned you about them. I did not tell you this from the beginning because I was with you,^{(AX) 5} but now I am going to him who sent me.^(AY) None of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’^{(AZ) 6} Rather, you are filled with grief^(BA) because I have said these things. ⁷ But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate^(BB) will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.^{(BC) 8} When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: ⁹ about sin,^(BD) because people do not believe in me; ¹⁰ about righteousness,^(BE) because I am going to the Father,^(BF) where you can see me no longer; ¹¹ and about judgment, because the prince of this world^(BG) now stands condemned.

¹² “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear.^{(BH) 13} But when he, the Spirit of truth,^(BI) comes, he will guide you into all the truth.^(BJ) He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. ¹⁴ He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. ¹⁵ All that belongs to the Father is mine.^(BK) That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”

The Disciples’ Grief Will Turn to Joy

¹⁶ Jesus went on to say, “In a little while^(BL) you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.”^(BM)

¹⁷ At this, some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’^(BN) and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?”^{(BO) 18} They kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.”

¹⁹ Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’? ²⁰ Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn^(BP) while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.^{(BQ) 21} A woman giving birth to a child has pain^(BR) because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. ²² So with you: Now is your time of grief,^(BS) but I will see you again^(BT) and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.^{(BU) 23} In that day^(BV) you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.^{(BW) 24} Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive,^(BX) and your joy will be complete.^(BY)

²⁵ “Though I have been speaking figuratively,^(BZ) a time is coming^(CA) when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father. ²⁶ In that day you will ask in my name.^(CB) I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. ²⁷ No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me^(CC) and have believed that I came from God.^{(CD) 28} I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”^(CE)

²⁹ Then Jesus’ disciples said, “Now you are speaking clearly and without figures of speech.^{(CF) 30} Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe^(CG) that you came from God.”^(CH)

³¹ “Do you now believe?” Jesus replied. ³² “A time is coming^(CI) and in fact has come when you will be scattered,^(CJ) each to your own home. You will leave me all alone.^(CK) Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me.^(CL)

³³ “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.^(CM) In this world you will have trouble.^(CN) But take heart! I have overcome^(CO) the world.”